Sam Harper Despite a vintage Shaun Marsh masterclass, the Melbourne Renegades were knocked out of the Big Bash League by the Brisbane Heat in Sunday evening’s Knockout at Marvel Stadium.
In front of 10,699 spectators, the Heat chased down the 163-run target with seven balls to spare and seven wickets in hand, securing their place in Thursday’s Challenger against the Sydney Sixers.
Marsh hit an unbeaten 82 (53) in the first inning, with nine boundaries and two sixes, but the veteran batter didn’t get enough help from the middle order. The Heat’s victory is bittersweet because they will miss Test batters Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Matthew Renshaw.
In the 10 th over when Matthew Critchley was bowling to Usman Khawaja, the bowl missed him and nudged down the leg and Renegades wicketkeeper Sam Harper made an ambitious stumping call. In the end, Khawaja was not out.
Here’s the video of Sam Harper:
Think we've found our frontrunner for most ambitious appeal of the season… 🤪@KFCAustralia | #BBL12 | #BBLFinals pic.twitter.com/msJRjipI3K
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 29, 2023
The Heat’s run chase got off to a flying start, thanks to an explosive 75-run partnership between skipper Khawaja and opening partner Josh Brown. At the other end, Khawaja continued on his merry way, with the Renegades missing a crucial run out opportunity in the 12th over. With a slog sweep over mid-wicket, the Heat skipper completed his fifty in 37 deliveries, his second half-century of the finals series.
Usman Khawaja brings up his 50 in style! #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/q4rP8qko4n
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 29, 2023
In the 16th over, Tom Rogers returned to the attack and snagged the crucial breakthrough, with Khawaja clipping the seamer directly towards deep fine leg for 59 runs. Renshaw smashed an unbeaten 27 off 13 balls in the final over to ensure the Heat reached the target.
At the SCG on Thursday, the Heat will take on the Sixers.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.